Executive Summary Template School Accreditation 2015-2016

Executive Summary Template School Accreditation

2015-2016

The Executive Summary (ES) provides the school an opportunity to describe in narrative form its vision as well as strengths and challenges within the context of continuous improvement. Use this template to complete the responses to the various questions below. The responses should be brief, descriptive, and appropriate for the specific section. Transfer completed narratives into the corresponding sections of the Executive Summary found online in ASSIST.

Description of the School

Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves?

North Lauderdale Pre K ~ 7th is located in the northern part of Broward County, Florida. It is a neighborhood school that opened in 1974. Most students walk to school, ride their bikes or are car riders. The school services 720 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through seventh. Student demographics are listed below.

Black: 586 (81%)

White: 98 (14%)

Pacific Islanders: 2 (.2%)

Asian: 15 (2%)

Multi: 19 (3%)

Economically Disadvantage: 682 (95%) ~ 666 (Free) 16 (Reduced)

ELL: 169 (23%)

Student attendance rates currently for the year of 2015-2016 average 93.8%
There has been 39% staff turnover due to various reasons, including: movement to another grade level, leave of absence, transfer to another school, dismissed for certification issues, retirement, or promotion to another position.
North Lauderdale Pre K ~ 7^th is a Title I school and has an extended instructional reading hour. Students also receive additional instructional assistance from school based Mathematics and Reading Coaches. During the past three years there has been a slight turnover of teachers within the intermediate grade levels (this seems to negate the data above – was the turnover of staff primarily in primary?). The community of North Lauderdale continues to have a high rate of mobility (students). Community and Parent Involvement are very limited. Many students attending North Lauderdale reside in low income rental apartments surrounding the school. Most of North Lauderdale students feed into Silver Lakes Middle School, however the option of remaining at North Lauderdale Pre K ~ 7^th is also available.


School’s Purpose

Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students.

Vision:

North Lauderdale Elementary will be an exemplary school, meeting the individual needs of all students. We will provide excellence in teaching and learning. Through the use of technology, effective and innovative teaching strategies and a commitment to partnerships within the community, this goal will be achieved.

Mission:

The mission of North Lauderdale Elementary is to provide an environment which promotes excellence in teaching and learning. North Lauderdale Elementary School staff is committed to providing an atmosphere where every child will be actively involved in learning and challenged to his/her highest potential. Innovative teaching techniques, modern technology and risk taking experiences will be combined to meet the educational, emotional, physical and social needs of each student.

Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement

Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years.

North Lauderdale Pre K ~ 7^th has received three additional Pre-Kindergarten classes to address the early literacy needs of the community. In addition, two secondary grade levels have been included in the makeup of our school (sixth and seventh grade ~ 52 students enrolled). Eighth grade will be added for the 2016 – 2017 school year. A mentoring program for girls has been implemented to address low self-esteem, decision making, proper etiquette, and coping strategies. The mentoring group meets monthly to discuss various topics referenced and culminates with the attendance of the All Girls Symposium. Peer counseling also provides opportunities for students to work on conflict mediation in a positive, meaningful way.

A partnership with North Broward County Links Chapter provides an opportunity to enhance and promote Haitian culture and self-esteem in students of Haitian descent. The members in the organization visit weekly to meet with the students and address the arts, health and fitness, and cultural achievements.

Currently we are a Digital 5, 6 and 7 school that ensures every student in these grades has an individual laptop. Additionally, NLE has a computer lab staffed so that all grade levels have access to computers. This technology allows the school the flexibility to initiate school-wide initiatives ( USA Test Prep, I-Ready and Acaletics), implement grade level common assessments, differentiate student learning paths, and helps the school in meeting the needs of 21^st century learners.

Monthly “Book Buddies” with kindergarten and students from Silver Lakes Middle (middle school students are paired with kindergarten students to complete an interactive read aloud) was implemented to enhance reading skills and expose the Kindergarten students to positive role models.

There continues to be a focus on building leadership skills in middle school students. LEAP (Leaders Exploring the Arts Program) was designed and implemented to expose and enrich the lives of students through the arts and cultural events. Students were selected by teachers to participate based on a set of leadership criteria. Career readiness is emphasized through our “Courageous Careers” program. With this opportunity, sixth grade students participate in FIU’s Business Seminar featuring Barrington Irving where they are given the opportunity to ask questions and take pictures. The unit was concluded with a classroom visit from a local Pilot.

Extra-curricular activities/clubs are present to increase student motivation and leadership as well. Students are able to participate in Math Club, ROBOTICS, Step Team, Chorus, Drumline, and Book Club. These clubs help to reinforce student’s natural interests and talents as well as being a positive role model, collaboration, and teamwork.

Trend data has shown the need to improve student achievement in reading. Students are experiencing difficulty in decoding, comprehension, and critical thinking. Although there has been a significant increase in student learning gains, there is still a deficit in student expected proficiency. To address this continued concern, professional learning in weekly grade level meetings focuses on the continuous improvement cycle for both teachers and students. Monthly PLCs are implemented to ensure excellence in teaching and that learning is demonstrated. Instructional staff members also attend off-site staff development offered by the district. After school camps are offered in reading, math, science, and civics in order to address the learning gaps and to enrich student learning. Custom Instructional Focus Calendars (IFC) were created for every grade level and Quarterly “data chats” are conducted with all teachers to address progress toward mastering necessary benchmarks, evaluating grade level common assessments and BSA (Broward Standards Assessment) results.

Increasing parental involvement has been an ongoing initiative. Parent participation has increased in our quarterly Family Nights, however overall involvement in conferences, RTI (Race to Intervention) meetings, volunteering, attending field trips, completing surveys, and supporting extra curriculum activities off-site is still very low. The school has been offering raffles and giveaways to motivate parents to attend events. Students are given incentives to encourage their families to attend various events. In addition, North Lauderdale Pre K-7 provides a variety of parent communication in order to keep families abreast of current and upcoming events and important information. These include, but are not limited to, the school website, marque (updated weekly), parent “phone blast”, and monthly newsletters.

Additional Information

Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections.

Effective Leadership – The administration has many policies that assist in building a positive working relationship with teachers, including: 1. Open door policy, 2.clear lines of communication (Weekly Roar newsletter to teachers) and 3. Team Leader release days to keep gain teacher input and concerns.

School Climate – The positive culture of the school is maintained through regular events to celebrate our successes and special events. A “Sunshine Committee” plans celebrations for each staff member’s birthday and arranges gifts for any births or condolences necessary. The school-wide behavior program, CHAMPS, provides a clear expectation across grade levels for behavior.

Supporting environments – Student and teacher evaluation is a continuous process throughout the year. Students track a lot of their own data so that they are fully aware of their strengths and weaknesses and can work on goal setting. Teacher evaluation is conducted through a transparent process of classroom observations, I-Observations, and discussions with administration.

Teacher to Teacher relationships – Peer relationships are fostered through weekly grade level meetings, team leader release days, mentoring services from academic coaches and TIF (Teacher Incentive Fund) mentors. Additionally, teachers new to the grade level or new to the school receive extra support through the weekly NESS meetings.

Involved families – Families are involved through a variety of school activities, including: Family Nights, Honor Roll assemblies, and monthly PTO/SAC meetings. These provide opportunities for parents to be involved in the school and assist in the decision-making process affecting their child(ren).

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